Fiber wars: Verizon gets OK to call FiOS '100 percent fiber optics'

It's OK for Verizon to say its FiOS network is "100 percent fiber optic" and it can continue to advertise it as such, the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau has ruled. The decision rebuts a claim by Time Warner Cable that Verizon was clouding the issue for consumers, many of whom still think that fiber is a dietary supplement.

Verizon is trying to distinguish its remaining FiOS systems from cable's HFC network which, while it has a lot of fiber, is not FTTH, and is using the FiOS claims, where it's still making FiOS available, to differentiate all-fiber from hybrid fiber.

In making the decision, the NAD determined that consumers were smart enough to understand that the advertisements mean Verizon delivers fiber from one end of its system to the home--not necessarily into the home. The most recent ruling came as a blow to cable operators as it fell on top of last month's decision that TWC and Cox Communications should stop describing their HFC networks as "fiber optic networks." TWC is appealing that decision; Cox is considering what action to take.

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